


As Long As It Takes

by Starbuckaroo



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Womb | Clone (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-25
Updated: 2014-08-25
Packaged: 2018-02-14 15:09:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2196480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starbuckaroo/pseuds/Starbuckaroo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I watched Womb/Clone recently, and thought it left a lot to be desired at the end. So, I added to it, and hopefully made the sex scene less shocking than it was and put a better angle on the love story. There is a bit of a Doctor Who feel to it as well. I couldn't help it. Matt Smith is my favorite Doctor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As Long As It Takes

**Author's Note:**

> The location of the story is never given in the movie, but one of the reviews I read said it takes place on an island. I liked that idea, so that is where I set it: a still-unnamed island.

All his life Tommy had been told that his father had died before he was born, and he in, in turn, had repeated that story over and over to his classmates and teachers. Everyone in the village knew that. But now, here was his father memorialized in photographs, along with a younger version of the strange older woman who had visited the beach house the day before. His father’s absence had always ached like an open wound that refused to heal. This man with his easy laugh and bear hugs, was the face of that missing figure in his life. Tommy wasn’t sure how he knew what his father’s laugh sounded like, but somehow he did.

The photos of the woman and the apple-cheeked boy at the birthday party also brought pain. Tommy never forgot that one horrible birthday when all of his friends had suddenly deserted him with no better explanation than “their mothers are stupid”.  He had never understood what Mum meant by that remark until now. The joyous celebration in this photo was the way all of his birthdays should have been, and it hurt that ever since that terrible day, they had never been again.

Tommy tried to stop looking at the pictures, but somehow couldn't. Something kept pushing him to look at the next, and the next. Ever since he had seen the woman yesterday, who he now knew was his biological mother, Tommy had to know. Mum’s refusal to speak of it had driven him to the bath to find solitude and answers inside himself, but there had been none. Only now, were the pieces beginning to fit.

The video of the street protest seemed out of place at first, until the camera panned around. A cold shock ran through Tommy when he saw the smiling young man. A man identical to him in every detail, right down to his haircut. _That night was a rush of exhilaration. Chasing about with his mates from university, making mischief outside the cloning facility, and then running like hell before the police caught them..._ Tommy didn't know how he knew these details, but the irony of the protest being at cloning facility was not lost on him.

This was what he was then. Just a copy, just like the little girl Dima and her unbelievably perfect pet rabbit. Dima, with the imagined scent that was supposed to have given her away as a clone. But it wasn't her smell that gave her away, he thought bitterly. It was the isolation that was imposed on her by everyone on the island who knew the truth about her existence. And now for the first time in his life, Tommy's own isolated existence at the beach cottage made sense. What didn't make sense was why a man who had hated cloning had then been cloned himself.

 

Something else didn't make sense. Why was he seeing fragments of memory from this man’s life?  How could Tommy know that he and his mates used to meet up with girls after the rallies? How could he know his parents from back then?  _But it wasn't you_ , logic insisted. _None of these memories are yours. This man was just someone from long gone who shares your DNA. This father you think you know is no more your parent than_  SHE _is_.

 

SHE, of course, was Mum. Tommy glanced over the top of the screen and saw his mother wipe her eyes as she stood beside the window on the far side of the room. It was as if she had to put  as much distance between them as she could. But why? What was the connection between her and these photos? She didn’t appear in any of them, so where did she fit? He wanted to know, and yet dreaded the answer at the same time. There was something, something that had been there for so long, a thing he could hardly allow himself to think, let alone say. But it was there nonetheless, had always been there, and it had driven Monica away, this strange closeness between him and Mum.

 **** _Rebecca…_ _A girl shivering on the beach, despite the over-sized sweater she wore, a new face on the island, unaccustomed to the chilly waves and biting winds of the north coast. Rebecca… The girl he had waited so long for..._ _But she couldn't be… Rebecca who had lied to him. Rebecca whose silence had wounded him a thousand times._ _Rebecca, his mum._

Behind him, she moved. He heard the quiet motion of her turning around, heard the sound of her step, and the squeak of the wooden floor. She was going to leave him there, his questions still unanswered, the strange aching hunger in his heart still unsatisfied.  No, not now, not this time. This time there would be no more secrets and no more lies.

Before he fully knew what he was doing, Tommy sprang to his feet, his anger spilling over. He grabbed the back of her neck, and hissed, “No, no, no.”

His hand tightened as he steered her body toward the bed. “No, no, no.”   One hard shove, one gasp of fear, and she was down, crumpled atop the bedspread. She moved to get up and he pointed at her wordlessly, silent rage screaming at her to stay where she was. She gave him a look of defiance, but did not try to get up.

Tommy turned his back on her again and sat down on the edge of the bed. It was easier not to face her, not to see the nameless something that he had always felt for her, reflected back at him from her blue eyes. Always it had been there, that wanting in her gaze and in her actions and reactions to him. One of the most memorable times was when he had pinned her to the ground during a playful wrestling match.

“ _Now I can do whatever I want with you_ ,” he said.

“ _Go ahead_ ,” she answered, her eyes shining strangely.

He had just sat there in confusion, holding her down, a multitude of desires racing through his pubescent mind. She must have known it, the way she lay there catching her breath in little gasps, longing etched on her face.

Tears came to Tommy’s eyes now as he finally began to give voice to his inner torment.  “I’m scared. I don’t know who you are. Or who I am, either.” He took a deep breath and asked hopefully, “Who are you, mum?”

She didn't even move. Didn't make a single sound.

He turned his head very slightly toward her and the questions tumbled out now. "Who are you, Mum? Who are you? Why did you do it? Why did you do this thing?”

From the corner of his eye, he saw her sit up. Her voice was as secretive as ever, and still quietly defiant as she chided, “Look at yourself, Tommy. You’re here.”

“So, so, so!” The words wrung themselves from his throat in an anguished cry. “What am I supposed to do now?! What am I supposed to do with this fucking life of mine?! Don’t you see? I have no idea who I am!”

He turned on her as he raged, and she retreated, lying back on the bed. He followed her, until he was directly above her, shouting,  "Can’t you understand?!”

His face was mere inches from hers, but she did not look afraid. Instead, the contrariness  and the yearning were still there. “What more could you want?”

“More than what?” he pleaded softly.

She reached up and placed her hands on his cheeks. Through his tears, he saw her smile. “You’re here, Tommy. You’re alive.” Her smile grew, and the warm pressure of her hands was an invitation.

“Take your hands off me,” he ordered.

She only smiled, as if willing him to do something. 

“Take your hands..off me.” It was as much a plea to her as it was to whatever force was at work inside him now, pushing into his mind and quickly taking control of his body. Their faces were so close together that their noses brushed against each other.

She dropped her hands, but held his gaze steadily. His cheeks burned where her hands had been and more memories sparked to life. _The ache of missing her when she had gone to Japan, the blessed relief of holding her again when she finally returned to him. Kissing her again, and wanting her with every ounce of love he was capable of._ Tommy felt his knee move upward, gently pushing her legs apart and raising her skirt. The bare skin of her thigh was hot against his knee.

“Who are you?” he said again, but she still refused to answer.

Her damned silence rekindled his anger. He closed his hand around her throat and she gasped, her eyes widening in fear.

 ****_Lying on the beach with her and dreaming of a future together. Jumping headlong into the waves to impress her._

“Who are you?” His chin brushed hers, his lips drawn irrevocably to hers. _Kissing her and joking with her in the car as they drove down a long deserted road_.

“Who are you?”  Oh, God, how those three words were killing him!

She shook her head slightly, begging him to let go. _Watching from the car as she walked off into the bush. The last time he would ever see her._

His voice broke. “Who are you?”

She reached up and pulled his hand away from her neck, opening her mouth to take a breath. She wrapped her fingers around his hand, then reached for the arms that held his body above hers. He slowly lowered his body against hers. He felt her legs move apart even more to make room for him. He seemed to fit perfectly against her curves. She held his gaze as their lips inched closer. Her breath was heavy.  He swallowed hard, his desire for her coming in ragged breaths. He let his lips linger for just a moment longer, slowly lowering his mouth, lightly brushing her lips, never breaking eye contact with her. He saw approval in her eyes, and something else, something dark and dangerous...a deep hunger for him.

She opened her mouth and gave a little gasp. Tommy pressed his mouth down and closed his eyes as he kissed her long and deep. Light flashed behind his eyes, and the last of his resistance fell. Blind passion took over as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. She thrust hers back, meeting him with equal force. Kiss after kiss followed, and each one she met and returned.

He wanted more. _Needed_ more. Had to have every bit of her. He trailed kisses down her neck, and she moaned in his ear. He could feel her body arching upward against him and his responded. He buried his face in her neck, and found the edge of her skirt with his free hand. It was up near her waist. She reached down and grasped his hand, either to stop him as he reached inside her underwear, or to guide him to the right spot, he wasn’t sure, but she gasped when he stroked the hot wetness inside her. A moment later, he unzipped his shorts and released the button that held him in. He grasped her hand and pinned it to the bed as he found entrance. There was just a moment of hesitation as he settled into her. She gasped in ecstasy at his first deep thrust, and it was the last bit of permission he needed.  

Memories continued to wash over him as he plunged into her over and over again. This is how it would have been that night they were to have reached the city. He would have run with her at the rally, and then when the excitement was over, he would have taken her to quiet place near the sea, and would have filled her body just as he was now. He would have told her how much he loved her and how he never wanted to be parted from her again.

He remembered the crash, the white light that had carried him away. And he remembered the words he had left for her inside the box with the snail shell.  

 ****_"I will wait for you, for as long as it takes.”_

He had written the words as a boy of eleven, left them as a promise for her, a promise he was fulfilling now. It didn't matter that he had been in a different body in a different time. He was here now, fully, completely, filling her as she filled him, at last expressing completely the love that had never faded, even when his life had ended. He heard her give a cry, part passion, part pain as he continued. He felt it too, the tug of sadness and joy all mixed together. He cried into her with each push, until he climaxed.

As he finished, the light in his mind faded and awareness returned. Rebecca  was not silent now. Her moans of passion now sounded more like cries of pain. Shame sliced through him. The body that he now spilled his seed into had once given him life, and now he had hurt it, had hurt his precious mother in his blind lust. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her as he started to leave. He wanted to run far away, but she held him back, pressing his head to her chest, stroking his hair as she used to do when he was afraid or sick.

He heard her breath grow still, and he dared to look at her face. A tear rolled down her cheek, but then she smiled and simply stroked his hair again.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened." He tried to move away again, but she gripped his arms to stop him.  "I'm so sorry. So sorry. You... me... him... So many things in my head. Things that shouldn't be there. I'm sorry." 

“Shh, Tommy. Don’t be sorry. This is how it was always supposed to be." She pulled him to her again, holding him, forgiving him, loving him even now. They lay like that for a long while, saying the things with silence that they couldn't say with words.

Night fell, and still he stayed there, listening to her heartbeat, feeling the curves of her body beneath him, softly, reverently kissing the breasts that had nurtured him, lifting her sweater, kissing the faded scar on her abdomen that had brought him into the world.

“I remember so many things now,” he said a few hours later, when the night was its darkest. “I know now why you did it. I just don’t know what to do about it.”

But he did know, even when she pulled his face down for another hungry kiss. He knew when she ran her hands over his body, exciting him again. He knew when they made love again, slowly this time, gently, taking their time. And she knew too.

It couldn't last. The outside world, with it’s lingering fear and prejudice against clones, with it’s ironclad rules of right and wrong would never understand. Monica was probably already spreading stories all over the village, and would tell them all again at university when they both returned there in a few days. No, it couldn't last.

But neither of them could let go just yet. Not now. Tommy kissed her one more time, and settled her head on his shoulder, holding tightly to her as she closed her eyes.

The next morning, he didn't even have to tell her he was leaving. She was already up when he awoke. When he left her room, he could see her sitting at the kitchen table, gazing off into the distance, her face serene. He went to his room and began to pack.  Later, as he stood against the wall of the kitchen, his bags at his feet, trying to find the right words to say, she still smiled at him. He picked up his bag and took a step, But then he hesitated, compelled to say something.

There was only one thing to say. “Thank you, Rebecca.” Then he walked out the door and across the familiar sands for the last time.

 

Half a mile from the cottage, he felt a deep tearing pain in his chest. There it was again, the blaze of light, calling him, pulling him away from the earth.

It made sense. He was a copy after all, his body created from DNA that had already lived over twenty years before he was born. Some people believed that his very existence was a crime against nature. He had certainly flouted the laws of nature himself, and now it was time to answer for it. It was time to return to the place where it all began and ended. 

But it wasn't _quite_ an end. Not before, and not now.

After he made the transition, Tommy saw a golden river of light before him, the river of time itself that bore the memories of both of his lives. He saw how he had managed it the first time, pulling energy around him and entering her dreams, letting Rebecca know how much he loved her, asking her to wait for him, begging her to bring him back. He found her there again in the golden river, grieving at his grave, aching for him again. Sometimes as he watched, he could almost reach through the invisible veil that separated them and touch her. He _ached_ to touch her, just once to let her know that she wasn't alone. He was still there, so close, if only she could see him.

And then as the golden river of light shimmered and shifted, he realized she really wasn't alone at all. He was very close to her that day on the porch at the beach house. If she would but turn around, she might even see him. But she didn’t. Her gaze was lost upon the waves, completely oblivious to his presence.

But, then he heard her thoughts just as clearly as if she spoke them aloud.

_“It’s over. I will always speak to you and I don’t mind if you don’t say anything. Just because you went away, it doesn’t mean you aren’t here anymore. Perhaps all I ever needed was this gift. The one you gave to me at the end.”_

He saw the swell of her belly then as she caressed it and saw the glowing light of the tiny life he had given her.

The river flashed again and he saw her in labour, her face so very white, the glow of her life force growing more and more dim by the second. But the light in her swollen body blazed even brighter, as if absorbing all of hers.  With a silent scream of pain, Tommy reached out to help her, to give her his own light to save her. But it wasn't enough. 

The delivery room erupted into chaos. Orders were shouted in panicked tones, surgical equipment clattered. An oxygen mask was hurriedly placed over Rebecca’s face, and her lovely blue eyes closed for the last time.  Tommy was left standing in anguish as the glow of the river flickered, and she disappeared from view. 

 

Suddenly, Tommy felt a rush of energy around him, as if he were standing on the windy beach again, and then there she was beside him, smiling again.

Her hand glimmered radiantly, as translucent as a sunbeam, but when he reached for it, he felt it's substance.  He opened his arms to her, and her light filled him, and he filled her. He was complete now, and so was she, their thoughts, their love blending together in a way they never could on earth. They were home...here in the fuzzy gray Between World...together as had always been intended.

And it was together that they looked down through the river of time just once more to watch their newborn daughter sleeping in her crib. Her golden life force glowed brightly, every part of her perfect and beautiful. She yawned as she began to awaken, then squirmed in discomfort. When she began to cry, a pair of aged hands reached for her.

The woman’s hair was white, but her eyes shone with the serene love of a mother as she placed a kiss on the baby’s dark hair. “Don’t cry, little one. Grandmother is here.” She looked up, and Tommy reached down to her.  A smile lit her face as she saw him.

“Mother,” he said.

She nodded and smiled through tears. “Thank you both for her, Tommy. She is absolutely perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything else. And I promise that I won’t let her forget you.”

He smiled and stepped back from the river of time, and it faded from sight. He felt Rebecca tug at his hand and he kissed her. Then they turned around together and began walking.

All of eternity waited for them.

 ****  
  



End file.
